


Real Love

by mother_goose_but_gay



Category: American Housewife (TV)
Genre: F/M, I wrote this because i couldn't stop thinking about oliver calling them cooliver, M/M, No Beta, Realizations, Sibling Bonding, directly follows 5x10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29726361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mother_goose_but_gay/pseuds/mother_goose_but_gay
Summary: Taylor talks to her brother about his relationship with Cooper and comes to realizations of her own
Relationships: Cooper Bradford & Taylor Otto, Cooper Bradford/Oliver Otto, Olliver Otto & Taylor Otto, Taylor Otto/Trip Windsor
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	Real Love

**Author's Note:**

> TW; mention of food

Taylor was confused, and this time it wasn’t about math or reading or why meerkats somehow always look like they’re plotting a murder or anything like that. She was confused because she had to make a difficult choice for one in her life. She loved Trip, but Andre was new and different and there was something about him that seemed extra special.

After her Grandma told her to try dating both Trip and Andre (she never said it out loud, but Taylor had been working on telling when people were using similes to compare things), she flopped onto her bed and her mind started to wander. It wanders throughout the day, from when she was interviewed by Franklin and pesky little Anna-Kat. It wanders to her lunch with Andre. It even wanders to Olliver. Now that she thought about it, he called himself and Cooper Cooliver this morning. The only time people do that is when they’re together. Hell, she and Trip didn’t start calling themselves Traylor until their third date. Ugh, she told herself, stop thinking about Trip! 

She decided to do some investigating to take her mind off things, so she put on her investigation outfit that she had been saving for when she wanted to read Anna-Kat’s journal. She walked downstairs to the boy’s room without her parents even glancing at her. Come on! What parent isn’t going to notice their 19 year old daughter wearing short shorts, a trench coat that says #spy, and a bedazzled magnifying glass hanging from the belt that tied it all together. 

Since the basement was soundproof, they obviously didn’t hear her coming because the second she walked into the room, Cooper bounced his head up from where it had been resting on Ollivers lap while a crimson blush rushed over both of their faces.

“Taylor, uhhh, what are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be having an existential crisis like the rest of the family did?” Oliver chuckled while fidgeting with his fingers and avoiding her eyes.

“I thought we were still in an environmental crisis?” she asked, confused.

“No, well, yes, but an existential crisis is when you question your existence. Most of the family already got over the crises that Franklin gave them.” 

He took a quick glance at Cooper. Oh right, thought Taylor, that’s what she had come down here for!

“So what was your exfoliating crisis about, boys?” she asked with a sly smile curving along the edge of her mouth.

“No, Taylor,” Oliver said, updating his mental tab of Taylor vs. Trip on which one was dumber.  
“Oh, sorry, Coop kind of questioned his place in the world,” he finished after a brief moment of thought.

“Otra vez,” said Cooper, sighing longingly. 

“Ostrich eggs? Now you guys are really confusing me,” Taylor whined.

“No, it means again in Spanish. Matthew Mcconoughay taught me when mi familia visited him in Malibu,” he said with a golden retriever smile on his face.

“Can you pleeease go more in depth?” she whined, “ I really wanna know.”

“Sure, Tay,” Cooper started.

“Hold on a second,” Olive exclaimed, “ How much will you give me?”

“I have $5 and a ring pop I found on the playground that’s still in it’s wrapper.”

“No way.”

“I’ll take the ring pop,” Cooper piped.

“Dude, why?”

“There’s literally nothing she could give me that I don’t already have two of! Anyways, I’m gonna go brush my teeth. Be back soon, babe!” he said as he leapt off the couch and bounded out of the room and up the stairs.

“Why did-” Taylor started.

“Why did he go upstairs when we have our own luxury one down here?,” Oliver interrupted,” You see it’s because he says it reminds him less of a nice bathroom, like the ones he had in the mansion and that makes it feel more homey,” Oliver said in a nervous rush.

“No,” she started, “ why did he call you babe? And why did you call yourselves Cooliver? Are you really gay, Olliver? Did you lie to me?”

“Just because he’s my best friend and we’re really close doesn’t mean that,” he pauses, contemplating his next words, “Ok,fine, I think I’m in love with him!”

Taylor was shook. She wasn’t surprised, but she was shocked that he admitted it. 

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” she asked in a gentle voice.

“What can I do about it?” he asks defeatedly. “I’ve thought of every possible thing I could do and even made one of those stupid pro and con charts like dad made you do when you flunked your exam on the battle of Westport.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that. The pro was that the teacher knew that I didn't cheat so he didn’t suspect a thing when I did cheat.”

A confused look from Olliver set her back on track. 

“Right, anyways, did you try just talking to him?”

“I don’t want to make things awkward between us. I really like when he calls me babe and when he lets me call us Cooliver- even if he thinks it’s platonic. I just don’t want all that to end,” he sighed. Taylor hadn’t seen him this genuinely worried since he tore his ACL. 

“I really think you should talk to him, Ollie. You don’t see the way he looks at you, but I do. I may not be reading above a fifth grade level, or be able to do basic multiplication, or-”

“Move onto your next point.”

“But, I do know what real love looks like,” she paused,” Real love looks like missing each other every second you’re away, and making up cute pet names that make no sense, and trying something new to make the other happy, even if it isn’t quite you, and real love is choosing each other over everyone else in the world because,,, because,” she paused again,” because you love each other more than anything and a new situation with new people isn’t go to make that any less true,” she finished quietly.

“I don’t think most of that was about me, but you’re welcome for helping you come to an important realization.”

Taylor quickly snapped out of it. 

“Anyways, I know you guys have real love, and I think he might know it too.”

And with that, she turned to leave, but froze on the spot when her eyes wandered to Cooper standing still in the doorway with a shocked look on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it! I'm just trying to add to the very small amount of American Housewife fics on here:)  
> p.s. I definitely didn't spend forever researching Mathew Mconaughay, meerkats, and words that start with e  
> Can't wait for the next episode!  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated but no pressure  
> Tell me if you want another chapter with Cooper's reaction  
> Love,  
> Goose


End file.
